Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Petraeus: Decision on troops in Iraq likely a matter of numbers
Former CIA director David H. Petraeus said Thursday that U.S. ground troops may still be needed to destroy Islamic State extremists in Iraq, but the Obama administration's current strategy of only deploying advisers to the war zone has "a reasonable chance of success" without a large number of American boots on the ground. Published October 2, 2014
Council on Foreign Relations report calls for Keystone approval
Rather than pivot to Asia, U.S. policymakers should be focusing on a pivot to North America by deepening economic ties with Canada and Mexico and getting serious about swiftly approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, according to a report released Thursday by the Council on Foreign Relations. Published October 2, 2014
U.S. pushing for new ‘Sunni Awakening’ in Iraq
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. officials are engaged in a high-stakes push to convince Sunni Muslim tribal leaders in Iraq to cooperate with Baghdad and Washington in the fight against Islamic State extremists, a strategy that sources say could take a year and highlights the need for fighters on the ground. Published October 1, 2014
Obama knew for months of intel community’s concerns about Islamic State
U.S. policy leaders, including President Obama, were repeatedly warned for more than a year by the U.S. intelligence community that the Islamic State terror group was gaining significant strength in Syria and was on the verge of seizing territory deep inside Iraq, where the military was struggling to respond. Published September 29, 2014
Obama, U.S. too passive on North Korea nuclear weapons: Seoul mayor
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, whom polls suggest will someday become South Korea's president, says the Obama administration has been too passive in dealing with North Korea, leaving the region without a clear strategy for steering the pariah nation away from making nuclear weapons. Published September 25, 2014
Feds name 11 backers of terrorist organizations
Bolstering the growing air and ground assault against Islamic State and al Qaeda operatives in Syria and Iraq, the Obama administration named 11 new global terrorism suspects Wednesday, claiming that each has played a role in helping to finance and provide foreign fighters for the extremist movements in the Middle East. Published September 24, 2014
Sunni Muslims remain wary of military cooperation with U.S.
The coalition of Arab nations that joined the U.S.-led air campaign in Syria signaled a new war on terror phase in which the Sunni Muslim-led states of the region are showing unprecedented willingness to take on Sunni Muslim extremists in their midst. Published September 23, 2014
Pentagon: Al Qaeda splinter planned ‘imminent’ U.S. attack
Pentagon officials say a little-known al Qaeda splinter group targeted exclusively by U.S. strikes on Monday night was plotting an "imminent attack" against the U.S. homeland. Published September 23, 2014
Obama administration: ‘No coordination’ with Assad on bombing campaign
The Obama administration sought Tuesday to downplay perceptions that its bombing campaign against Islamic extremists inside Syria signal any new alignment between Washington and embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad. Published September 23, 2014
U.S. conducted secret strike in Syria away from Arab allied support
While a coalition of U.S. and Arab military forces struck at Islamic State targets inside Syria on Monday night, the Pentagon also engaged in a U.S.-exclusive action targeting a little-known al Qaeda-aligned group that U.S. officials say is plotting an "imminent attack" against the United States. Published September 23, 2014
U.S. military starts bombing ISIS targets in Syria with aid of partner nations
The Pentagon began dropping bombs on Islamic State targets in Syria on Monday night — a critical development in a sprawling air campaign designed to thwart the violent Islamist militants. Published September 22, 2014
Fears mount that the Islamic State is plotting terror strike in Jordan
Fears have mounted in Jordan during recent days that Islamic State extremists are plotting attacks like the coordinated suicide bombings that ripped through Western-owned hotels in the nation in 2005. Published September 22, 2014
Kerry touts coalition for Islamic State fight, says ‘We’ll see what happens’ with Turkey
Secretary of State John F. Kerry says there is a role for nearly every nation in the world — including Iran — in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, asserting that so far "more than 50 countries have come forward with critical commitments" to a growing international effort to crush the extremist movement. Published September 19, 2014
Seeking war powers, Obama now ties Islamic State to al Qaeda
President Obama for years insisted that the new breed of "local" extremists in the Middle East weren't really part of al Qaeda, but now claims the Islamic State group is indeed the same as Osama bin Laden's original network — a rhetorical shift used by the White House to justify its widening war on terrorism without explicit authorization from Congress. Published September 18, 2014
Hagel: Obama has ‘constitutional and statutory authority’ to wage war on ISIL
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel asserted Thursday that the Obama administration is fully within its "constitutional and statutory authority" to green light the use of U.S. military force against Islamic State extremists not only in Iraq but also inside Syria. Published September 18, 2014
House approves Obama plan to arm, train Syrian rebels to fight ISIS
The House voted Wednesday to approve President Obama's request to open a new front in the war on terrorism, granting him permission to train and arm some Syrian rebels in the hope that they will fight Islamic State militants advancing in Syria and Iraq. Published September 17, 2014
Kerry to Senate: No ground troops against Islamic State
A day after his counterparts at the Pentagon said U.S. ground troops may be needed in the future to defeat Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq, Secretary of State John F. Kerry asserted outright Wednesday that "U.S. ground troops will not be sent into combat in this conflict." Published September 17, 2014
Indonesia cracks down on suspected jihadists as Islamic State fears mount
Fears about the threat posed by the Islamic State are mounting not only in the West but also in the capital of the world's most populous Muslim nation. Published September 16, 2014
China actively agitating, creating instability, says U.S. Adm. Locklear
The top admiral in charge of U.S. military operations in Asia lambasted China this week, accusing Chinese leaders of actively fomenting instability in the South and East China seas instead of using their expanding economic and military power to create sustainable security in the region. Published August 29, 2014
Despite sanctions relief, Iran aids Hamas with missile technology
When President Obama announced last year the easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran in return for concessions on its nuclear program, he cautiously hailed the deal as a "real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive, peaceful settlement" with Tehran. But while both countries work overtime on thorny nuclear issues, fresh evidence suggests Iran continues to support the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which went to war anew this summer with Israel. Published August 18, 2014